Poison Genius Consort

n prince seems even more anxious than the emperor.”

“Mhm,” Long Feiye assented in a mild tone.

In the past, Chu Qingge had been constantly trying to invite Han Yunxi into the palace for motives unknown, but schemes and intrigues were the likely reasons.
Meanwhile, the empress dowager had been keeping an eye on Han Yunxi so she could sow discord between her and Chu Qingge before reaping the benefits herself.
Now things were good.
Once the issue of gunpowder cropped up, Chu Qingge and the empress dowager would be too busy facing off against each other to deal with her!

Thinking up to here, Han Yunxi couldn’t resist stealing another peek at Long Feiye.
The mastermind of the explosion crimes was currently reading with his head down as if the future chaos had nothing to do with him.
He had never involved himself with palace politics, but his recent movements could cause sweeping waves at court.
This was His Highness Duke of Qin’s skill and the reason why so many people held him in awe.
The two of them reached the Duke of Qin’s front gates, only to see Gu Qi Sha waiting at the door.

When he saw them get off the carriage, he rose to ask, “Long Feiye, you didn’t tell this old fellow a word when you found the gunpowder?”

Would Long Feiye answer him? Certainly not! Who else would he waste words on besides the woman he was holding by the hand? He simply ignored Gu Qi Sha altogether and went inside the gates.
Gu Qi Sha immediately followed them in until he was blocked by the guards.

“Han Yunxi, we’re still collaboration partners in the end.
Is this how you treat your guests?” Gu Qi Sha asked loudly.

“Do you have any business?” Han Yunxi asked.

“The old fellow’s planning to stay in the capital and personally follow up with matters of Pill Fiend Pharmacy,” Gu Qi Sha replied.

“So then?” Han Yunxi asked patiently.

Gu Qi Sha chuckled.
“After thinking it over, this old fellow thinks it’s more convenient to live at the Duke of Qin’s estate.”

Han Yunxi was about to speak when Long Feiye actually agreed.
He said frostily, “Chu Xifeng, prepare a guest room!”

Both Gu Qi Sha and Han Yunxi were caught off guard, but the former accepted the open offer generously! Just like that, Gu Qi Sha found an independent courtyard in the Duke of Qin’s estate and settled in.
If the injured Gu Beiyue’s last stay in this estate didn’t count, then Gu Qi Sha could be considered the first overnight guest within these walls.

After returning to the Hibiscus Courtyard, Han Yunxi finally opened her mouth.
“Your Highness, you’re really letting him stay?”

“Better than you running out to see him all the time,” Long Feiye said mildly.

If Gu Qi Sha really did stay somewhere in the capital and bothered Han Yunxi with Pill Fiend Pharmacy business every few days, she really would be running out of the estate all the time.

“Your Highness has taken pains,” Han Yunxi said without further thought.

As predicted, Gu Qi Sha sent warehouse design questions to Han Yunxi that very afternoon.
Han Yunxi arranged to meet him in the flower gardens for discussion, with Long Feiye accompanying her.
In truth, Gu Qi Sha was quite earnest with the design plans, He found a few minute problems with the original proposal since he understood medicines best.
Han Yunxi yielded to his suggestions at every turn.
A few days later, all sorts of news regarding the gunpowder case spread throughout the capital.
Some of them had been let loose by Long Feiye’s means.
Emperor Tianhui was furious and ordered strict investigations into the origins of the gunpowder.
Moreover, Zhangsun Zelin and Ouyang Ningnuo, along with a few other major merchants of the black markets, were all set as suspects in the case.
All of their assets and businesses in Tianning were locked down for further investigation.

Although both Zhangsun Zelin and Ouyang Ningnuo were the bosses of Sky Domain Black Market, the former could hardly be mentioned in the same breath as the latter, who was also the head of the Cloud Realm Continent Trade Consortium.
Ouyang Ningnuo’s businesses may have been sealed shut in Tianning, but he still had trade in Northern Li, Western Zhou, and Medicine and Medical City.
He wouldn’t go bankrupt from this matter, nor would Emperor Tianhui treat him too harshly.
But Zhangsun Zelin was in a terrible mess.
Most of his assets were concentrated in Tianning, so Emperor Tianhui would swallow him up for sure.

Hardly five days had passed in the gunpowder case when he decided to give up on everything in Tianning.
He went by himself to the largest bank in Tianning, Plentiful Treasure Private Bank, and told the manager, “Please tell His Highness Duke of Qin that Zhangsun Zelin requests an audience.”

There weren’t many people who knew the true identity of the owner of Plentiful Treasure Private Bank, so the manager hurried to forward the news.
A single black market could take away much of the revenue and taxes due to the national treasury, suppress much of the normal business in Tianning, and cheat countless people in urgent need of goods or services. Would Long Feiye look kindly upon Zhangsun Zelin?

Currently, he and Han Yunxi were steeping tea in the back courtyard when he said coldly, “Have him wait.”

Wait?

Thus, Zhangsun Zelin waited with burning impatience inside the palace for an entire day.
If he wasn’t in a tight spot, he would’ve long turned tail and left.
All of the silver drafts in his hands were high value goods.
Ten of them alone made up his stores of real gold and silver accumulated from his business between the black and normal markets.
It was also his only way of escaping the country now.
But because the silver draft values were so high, he wouldn’t be able to get any banks to accept them out of the country without the personal seal of the Plentiful Treasure Private Bank’s owner.
No matter what, he had to wait until His Highness Duke of Qin to show up!

Zhangsun Zelin waited until after dinner before the manager brought him to a tea room…